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Iran condemned the United States as "racist" after President Donald Trump imposed travel restrictions on citizens from 12 countries, including Iran, citing national security threats.
Iran's Foreign Ministry issued a statement criticizing Trump's decision to ban travel to the U.S. for citizens of Iran and 11 other countries.
The ministry called the decision "clear evidence of the dominance of supremacist and racist mentality" among American policymakers and a sign of Washington's "deep hostility" toward Iranians.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry statement said: "The US administration's decision to restrict Iranian nationals solely based on their religion and nationality not only shows the deep hostility of US decision-makers toward the Iranian people and Muslims but also violates fundamental principles of international law such as the prohibition of discrimination and basic human rights."
Trump cited "national security threats" as justification for banning travel to the US by citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Trump also imposed travel restrictions on citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, according to a White House announcement.
The White House stated that people from these 19 countries who legally reside in the U.S. or have valid visas and "serve U.S. national interests" will be excluded from the executive order's scope.
Speaking about the executive order in a post on the White House's X social media account, Trump said, "We will not allow people who want to harm us to enter our country."
Trump announced that the number of countries subject to travel restrictions could be revised when necessary and that different countries could be added to the list "as new threats emerge."
Cuba criticized the Trump administration's travel restrictions on its citizens. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez stated on the X social media platform, condemning the U.S. decision.
"The new US entry ban on citizens of many countries has a racist background, with the support of anti-Cuban politicians. This practice disrupts communication between Cuban families; it harms personal, professional, academic, and cultural exchanges between the two countries," Rodriguez stated.
Rodriguez characterized the restrictions as having racist undertones and said they would damage family connections and bilateral exchanges between Cuba and the United States.
The travel restrictions affect citizens from a total of 19 countries, with 12 countries facing complete travel bans and seven others subject to various travel limitations.
Those with legal U.S. residence or valid visas who serve U.S. national interests remain exempt from the restrictions.
The White House indicated the list of restricted countries could be modified as security assessments change and new threats are identified.
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